In 1845, Eliot Saxby is a naturalist who has been booked passage upon a ship sailing to the Arctic in order to settle a bet. The bet is whether or not the Great Auk is still alive. Eliot is excited by the prospect that he may be able to see and study these wonderful birds that everyone thought to be extinct. There are two other passengers on the ship, Edward and his cousin Clara. Eliot notices that Edward is quite a character, who is a little off at times and has an interesting relationship with Clara. When Eliot finally catches a glimpse of Clara, he thinks of her as a woman who haunts his past. The rough crew and the troubled captain of the Arctic ship, Amethyst add an element of danger that the passengers can not escape.

Written with a haunting passion, The Collector of Lost Things is a poignant novel for today. Set at the time when humans began to destroy the Arctic, our destruction continues today. Many of the hunting and killing scenes were written so vividly, that I had to put the book down for a minute. Eliot's character reacted to these scenes appropriately, and I think my emotions would be similar. An air of mystery was added with Eliot's reaction to Clara and it was interesting to learn of his past. I was glad to join Eliot on his journey to find the Great Auk, and I appreciated this story being told.

This book was received for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.